138 domestic, nine international flights cancelled at Delhi airport due to Pak escalation after 'Operation Sindoor'

According to estimates by airlines, around 400 domestic flights were cancelled as a precautionary measure on May 9, with the government shutting down 24 airports across north-west India, including Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, and Shimla.

Several airports, including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, are facing disruption in operations since May 7, as India’s northern and western airspace has been restricted due to threat from Pakistan’s escalation following the precision strikes on terror sites across the border under ‘Operation Sindoor’.

As of 2:00 pm, May 9, as many as 138 flights have been cancelled at the Delhi airport, said one source, including 129 domestic and nine international flights. As many as 71 departing flights and 67 arriving flights have been delayed, data from live flight-tracking website Flightradar24 has shown.

Follow latest updates on the India Pakistan border escalation right here.

The 129 flights cancelled included 66 domestic flights meant to depart from and 63 domestic flights scheduled to arrive at IGI Airport. Similarly, of the nine international flights disrupted, five were international departures from IGI and four were arrivals.

The Delhi airport has had to adjust several flights and provision for changes in the schedule. “…due to changing airspace conditions, some flights have been impacted at Delhi Airport. For updated flight information, passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines or may visit our official website,” Delhi Airport said in a post on X early May 9.

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Hundreds of flights of domestic airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, Spicejet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express, have been cancelled and rescheduled.

Read More: Delhi airport update on May 9 - Minor flight disruptions amid border tensions

Airports Shut Down

According to estimates by airlines, around 400 domestic flights were cancelled as a precautionary measure on May 9, with the government shutting down more than 24 airports across north-west India, including Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, and Shimla.

The affected Indian airports include Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Halwara, Pathankot, Bhuntar, Shimla, Gaggal, Dharamsala, Kishangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mundra, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Kandla, Keshod, Bhuj, Gwalior and Hindon. Airports primarily used for military charters have also been included in the shutdown.

Air travel in the country has been disrupted after 24 airports across northern, western, and central India have shut down commercial flights until 0529 IST on Saturday, May 10. The operations are expected to remain constrained as a ‘Notice to Airmen’ (NOTAM) is applicable until May 10.

In Gujarat, four airports close to the Indo-Pakistan border – Bhuj, Kandla, Jamnagar, and Rajkot — have been temporarily shut down for civilian aircraft operations.